Evaluation of Sugar Beet Breeding Material for Rhizomania Disease Resistance
摘要
Rhizomania poses a serious threat to global sugar beet production, with the breeding of resistant varieties being the most effective measure. Through three consecutive years of evaluation of 39 sugar beet germplasm resources from different regions of China, unprecedented variation in resistance to rhizomania was observed, with the relative disease index (RDI) ranging from 38.70 (susceptible materials) to 1.29 (resistant materials). Notably, materials from Xinjiang exhibited the highest variability in root yield, while those from Inner Mongolia showed significant differences in sugar content. Evaluation results demonstrated that materials with low RDI consistently outperformed susceptible varieties in both yield and sugar content under infected conditions. A complex interaction network was identified between sugar content and key mineral elements (Na, K, N), indicating that soil management and plant nutrition significantly influence sugar beet productivity and byproduct yield. Cluster analysis classified the 39 materials into three distinct groups, and 18 elite resistant genotypes (46.15%) were identified. These findings provide a scientific basis for breeding rhizomania-resistant sugar beet varieties and offer new directions for sustainable sugar beet cultivation.